不患寡而患不均：合伙人客户资源差距与审计质量

摘要/Abstract

摘要： 强化会计师事务所内部治理和提高会计师事务所的执业质量对资本市场环境的净化作用和强化注册会计师对上市公司的监督作用至关重要。基于事务所内部治理的视角,采用2014—2019年会计师事务所合伙人及其审计的上市公司为样本,考察了会计师事务所合伙人客户资源差距对审计质量的影响。研究发现：会计师事务所合伙人客户资源寡少不但不会损害合伙人的审计独立性,反而会提高审计质量,即“不患寡”;合伙人之间的客户资源不均会损害审计质量,同时公平感知与相对落差感会削弱合伙人客户资源寡少对审计质量的积极影响,即“患不均”。拓展性分析发现：内部治理机制完善的大事务所、分析师的外部监督作用能缓解合伙人之间客户资源不均对审计质量的消极影响,但大事务所业务拓展压力大也会削弱合伙人客户资源寡少与审计质量的正相关关系。

关键词: 合伙人, 客户资源差距, 审计质量, 事务所内部治理

Abstract: To strengthen the internal governance of accounting firms and improve the practice quality of accounting firms is of vital importance in strengthening the clean-up effect of the capital market environment and strengthening the role of the certified public accountants in supervising the listed companies. From the perspective of the internal governance of audit firms, this paper takes the partners of accounting firms and the listed companies audited by them from 2014 to 2019 as the samples to investigate the impact of client resource gap between the partners of accounting firms on audit quality. The results show that the audit independence of the partners would not be eroded by more or less of the numbers of the client resources of the partners of accounting firms, on the contrary, the audit quality will be improved. When the client resources among the partners are unequal, the audit quality will be harmed. Meanwhile, the fairness perception and the relative sense of unevenness would weaken the positive impact of the numbers of client resources of the partners on audit quality. The results of the extensibility analysis show that the big audit firms with perfect internal governance mechanism and the external supervision effect of analysts can relieve the negative impact of unequal client resources between the partners on audit quality, but the heavy pressure of business expansion on the big firms will also weaken the positive correlation between the numbers of client resources of the partners and the audit quality.

Key words: audit partners, client resource gap, audit quality, internal governance of audit firms

中图分类号:

F239.22

王浩宇. 不患寡而患不均：合伙人客户资源差距与审计质量[J]. 当代财经, 2022, 0(4): 137-148.

WANG Hao-yu. Inequality rather than Want: Client Resource Gap among Audit Partners and Audit Quality[J]. Contemporary Finance & Economics, 2022, 0(4): 137-148.

参考文献

[1] DeFond M., Zhang J. A Review of Archival Auditing Research[J]. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 2014, 58(2-3): 275-326.
[2] Lennox C., Wang C., Wu X.Upening up the “Black Box” of Audit Firms:The Effects of Audit Partner Ownership on Audit Adjustments[J]. Journal of Accounting Research, 2020, 58(5): 1299-1341.
[3] 吴溪, 王春飞, 李勃. 公共会计服务市场的竞争秩序——来自中国证券审计市场新设分所的证据[J]. 会计研究, 2018, (12): 12-18.
[4] 郭晋龙. 会计师事务所合伙文化的理想与现实——基于36起合伙纠纷案例的研究[J]. 中国注册会计师, 2005, (9): 25-29.
[5] Lazear E.P., Rosen S. Rank-Order Tournaments as Optimum Labor Contracts[J]. Journal of Political Economy, 1981, 89(5): 841-864.
[6] Bloom M., Michel J.G. The Relationships among Organizational Context, Pay Dispersion, and among Managerial Turnover[J]. Academy of Management Journal, 2002, 45(1): 33-42.
[7] Wu X.Do Audit Firms Assign the More Experienced Engagement Partners to New Clients Switching from Other Firms?[J]. China Accounting and Finance Review, 2009, 11(3): 1-59.
[8] 叶飞腾, 薛爽, 陈超. 基于质量控制和客户关系双重视角的审计项目负责人更换分析[J]. 财经研究, 2014, (3): 114-123.
[9] 王春飞, 吴溪, 曾铁兵. 会计师事务所总分所治理与分所首次业务承接——基于中国注册会计师协会报备数据的分析[J]. 会计研究, 2016, (3): 87-94+96.
[10] 杨育龙, 吴溪, 陈旭霞.中国本土会计师事务所的网站信息能揭示审计质量差异吗?[J]. 审计研究, 2017, (6): 67-75.
[11] DeAngelo L. E. Auditor Size and Audit Quality[J].Journal of Accounting and Economics, 1981, 3(3): 183-199.
[12] 陈小林, 张雪华, 闫焕民. 事务所转制、审计师个人特征与会计稳健性[J]. 会计研究, 2016, (6): 77-85.
[13] 程璐, 董沛武, 于海瀛.区域会计师事务所数量对审计质量的影响研究[J]. 中国软科学, 2019, (5): 104-115.
[14] 朱松, 柯晓莉. 审计行业监管有效性研究——基于证监会处罚公告后事务所策略选择的经验证据[J]. 财经研究, 2018, (3): 56-67.
[15] Ernstberger J., Koch C., Schreiber E.M.Are Audit Firms' Compensation Policies Associated with Audit Quality?[J]. Contemporary Accounting Research, 2020, 37(1): 218-244.
[16] 史文, 叶凡, 刘峰. 审计团队:中国制度背景下的研究视角[J]. 会计研究, 2019, (8): 71-78.
[17] Kallunki J., Kallunki J.P., Niemi L. IQ And Audit Quality: Do Smarter Auditors Deliver Better Audits?[J]. Contemporary Accounting Research, 2019, 36(3): 1373-1416.
[18] Gul F.A., Wu D., Yang Z. Do Individual Auditors Affect Audit Quality? Evidence from Archival Data[J]. The Accounting Review, 2013, 88(6): 1993-2023.
[19] 孟庆斌, 施佳宏, 鲁冰, 宋祉健. “轻信”的注册会计师影响了审计质量吗——基于中国综合社会调查(CGSS)的经验研究[J]. 会计研究, 2019, (7): 12-20.
[20] Gunn J.L., Michas P. N. Auditor Multinational Expertise and Audit Quality[J]. The Accounting Review, 2018, 93(4): 203-224.
[21] Chin C.L., Chi H. Y. Reducing Restatements with Increased Industry Expertise[J]. Contemporary Accounting Research, 2009, 26(3): 729-765.
[22] Chen C.Y., Lin C. J., Lin Y. C. Audit Partner Tenure, Audit Firm Tenure, and Discretionary Accruals:Does Long Auditor Tenure Impair Earnings Quality?[J]. Contemporary Accounting Research, 2008, 25(2):415-445.
[23] 闫焕民, 王浩宇, 张雪华. 审计师工作量压力、组织支持与审计意见决策[J].管理科学, 2020, (4): 19-36.
[24] Xiao T., Geng C., Yuan C.How Audit Effort Affects Audit Quality: An Audit Process and Audit Output Perspective[J]. China Journal of Accounting Research, 2020, 13(1): 109-127.
[25] 闫焕民, 蒋煦涵, 何恩良. 审计师工作压力传导与审计质量——基于JD-C模型的理论分析框架[J]. 当代财经, 2016, (12): 119-127.
[26] 方军雄, 伍琼, 傅颀. 有限注意力、竞争性信息与分析师评级报告市场反应[J]. 金融研究, 2018, (7): 193-206.
[27] Chen J., Dong W., Han H.Does Audit Partner Workload Compression Affect Audit Quality?[J]. European Accounting Review, 2020, 29(5): 1021-1053.
[28] Adams J.S. Towards an Understanding of Inequity[J]. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1963, 67(5): 422-436.
[29] Cowherd D.M., Levine D. I. Product Quality and Pay Equity between Lower-Level Employees and Top Management: An Investigation of Distributive Justice Theory[J]. Administrative Science Quarterly, 1992, 37(2): 302-320.
[30] 王璐, 李晓慧.论注册会计师对自身工作不满意与忽视行为的关系——基于情绪智力调节的视角[J]. 审计研究, 2009, (5): 51-57.
[31] 齐飞. 会计师事务所质量控制模式研究[J]. 会计研究, 2013, (11): 82-87+96.
[32] Chen C.J. P., Chen S., Su X. Profit Ability Regulation, Earnings Management, and Modified Audit Opinions:Evidence from China[J]. Auditing:A Journal of Practice & Theory, 2001, 20(2): 10-31.
[33] 陆正飞, 王春飞, 伍利娜.制度变迁、集团客户重要性与非标准审计意见[J]. 会计研究, 2012, (10): 71-78.
[34] 苏坤. 社会信任、法律环境与审计效率——基于CGSS数据的实证研究[J].中国会计评论, 2020, (2): 341-362.
[35] 洪金明, 林润雨, 崔志坤.企业风险承担水平、审计投入与审计意见[J]. 审计研究, 2021, (3): 96-105.
[36] Dyck A., Morse A., Zingales L.Who Blows the Whistle on Corporate Fraud?[J]. Journal of Finance, 2010, 65(6): 2213-2253.
[37] 李志刚, 施先旺, 刘拯.分析师能发现审计合谋吗?——基于我国上市公司的经验证据[J]. 财经论丛, 2015, (7): 56-65.
[38] Yu F.F. Analyst Coverage and Earnings Management[J]. Journal of Financial Economics, 2008, 88(2): 245-271.
[39] 赵艳秉, 张龙平. 审计质量度量方法的比较与选择——基于我国A股市场的实证检验[J]. 经济管理, 2017, (5): 146-157.